Riccardo Belli's "Grow" Tiles Provide a Nurturing Environment for Plants To Grow in the City

No matter how much we build, plants always seems to find a way to sprout up through the cracks of human civilization. Inspired by the constrast between the natural world and human culture, Riccardo Belli, a student at the Academy of Fine Arts & Design at Maastricht, created Grow, a unique ceramic tile that includes a suitable habitat for living plants, and that encourages living things to thrive within the built environment.

Belli’s ‘bubble’ design is intentionally organic, and its deep indents provide an inviting habitat for moss to grow in. Belli hopes that Grow, and the plants it encourages in urban environments, will change people’s perceptions of the dynamic between nature and culture.